Requires telecommunications companies providing prepaid card services to provide certain levels of call quality; requires providers of prepaid calling services to disclose on every prepaid calling card the parent corporation of such provider and the telephone numbers of the federal and state agencies with which complaints against such provider may be filed.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9788
IN ASSEMBLY
February 9, 2018
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CUSICK -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to disclosure by
providers of prepaid calling services and telephone call quality for
prepaid calling services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 92-f of the public service law, as
2 added by chapter 651 of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as follows:
3 2. Disclosure requirements. Any company that provides prepaid calling
4 services through prepaid calling cards shall be required to print legi-
5 bly on each card the following information:
6 a. name of the company;
7 b. name of the parent corporation that owns the company;
8 c. toll-free customer service number;
9 [c.] d. toll-free network access number, if such number is required to
10 access service;
11 [d.] e. authorization code, if such code is required to access
12 service;
13 [e.] f. any expiration date or expiration policy; [and]
14 [f.] g. instructions for use of the card[.]; and
15 h. the appropriate telephone numbers of the federal and state govern-
16 ment entities with which a person may file a complaint.
17 § 2. Subdivision 8 of section 92-f of the public service law is renum-
18 bered subdivision 9 and a new subdivision 8 is added to read as follows:
19 8. Telephone call quality requirements. Any company that provides
20 prepaid calling services through prepaid calling cards shall ensure the
21 quality of the calls. Quality of the calls shall include, but not be
22 limited to, maintaining a steady connection, avoiding echoing that
23 interrupts telephone call clarity, and avoiding excessive static that
24 hinders access to communication. The commission shall commence a
25 proceeding to review call quality of telephone services provided through
26 the use of cards and establish rules on how to monitor call quality.
27 § 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
28 have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11579-05-8
